Chapter 6: Survival of the fittest

In this chapter Samuel and his guardian push through a fallen cityscape littered with monsters soldiers and the monsters in the shadows.

Chapter 6: Survival of the fittest

The crack of a sniper round penetrates the silence of the shuttering twilight within your mind. You return to the world of chaos and discord in which your mind and body are forced to exist in every day. Jumping onto a collapsed platform across the way, you search for the sniper's location knowing full well his next shot might be the last heard by you. The shadows that the setting sun creates are your friend as you push the rubble scattered around you.

As you push around a corner the sniper send another round off directly along the wall your hiding behind, the broken cement pieces of the wall shatter against your face nearly hitting your eyes. Your heart is pumping to an almost audible level as you push your way along the ledge beneath the rest of the bridge. As the sun breaks the horizon the last glimpse of sunlight sinks behind the buildings. Your surroundings slowly turn ominous as you climb up a broken section of a fallen walkway.

The night sky fills with cries of the demons of darkness as they crawl out of their holes within fallen New Berlin. Suddenly a crackle sounds off across the river way with a flash of bright light. The shadows that crawl atop the buildings suddenly converge onto the sniper and his guard across the waterfront. A series of gunshots and screams fill the near silent environment as you turn to continue your trip into darkness. Without a sign given a voice starts to talk above you on the bridge top.

“We're almost there Samuel” she says as jumps down next to you. “only a few more miles of walking and we made it to the gates of the last order settlement.”

“well its about time you showed up again, I thought you left for good.” You say as you two stroll down the street that opens in front of you.

Giving you a hand signal she leads you into the subway entrance which has been left to decay since the fall. The stench of rotting flesh fills your nostrils as you both push your way down the deteriorating stairs of the old metro. Bags lay in shambles across the platforms and benches.

“This railway should lead us relatively close to the gates without drawing attention to us from those lurkers coming from their nests.” she quietly says as you both jump down into the Metro tunnel. "According to the subway layout D-5 is the gate we need to get out at to get to the settlement."

“why haven't we made at least radio contact with the last order before doing this? I think they should at least know we're coming!

She remains silent as you push through the the water that slowly pours in through a hole in the ceiling above. The tunnel suddenly darkens as you push past the water, reaching for your headlight you struggle to keep you footing. Suddenly a series of cries shake the subway's wall as you nearly fall to the ground. Getting rebalanced you look around yourself and suddenly realize you're all alone. As the ground shakes rapidly you take refuge in a small grate, slowly you slide into the dark hole waiting for the creatures to pass by. Heavy breathing and grunting sounds through the tunnel as you shiver at the thought of the creatures through the grate behind you. The dark creatures slowly pass by as they stalk their next meal hoping for a lost traveler.

You slide the grate back out after the monsters disappear out of sight. Stealthily you push around the corners of the old subway until you make it to subway level D-5 where she told you to ascend. Again she reappears out of thin air as you approach the stairs out of the metro. Her feet click against the concrete as you both weave through some fallen debris around the entry way. The cityscape has shifted since you left the surface a mere five minutes ago, the old city center sky scrapers lay in ruin, abandoned by those who left for the west. The sounds of water slowly pouring off the buildings around you draws you to a pond of freshwater above an old city square. The view is tremendous, the moon lays above the ruinous green skyscrapers as the sky lights with fire from another fallen outpost in the distant horizon. The glow suddenly collapses on itself as your eyes close uncontrollably.

Author's Note

Hey guys its been awhile since my last post ill be posting more frequently, with even more in depth lore of the lurkers' past as well as the entire spero universe that is still to be explored.